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Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections

A long and rich tradition of decorative wood carving was brought to North America by the Germanic populations that settled in southeastern Pennsylvania. Carved motifs adorned many households, and whimsical creations, such as this colorful bird tree, were often presented as a part of the ritual of courtship or as other tokens of affection or esteem. Nature served as a powerful source of inspiration and reassurance among the predominantly agrarian Pennsylvania Germans. Depicted with great realism or with characteristic humor and wit, animals frequently served as decorative motifs while maintaining their strong spiritual or symbolic connotations within the community. Among the Pennsylvania Germans birds were a symbol of rebirth and renewal, and carvings such as this were often given to acknowledge the arrival of a child or the coming of spring. Jack L. Lindsey, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 278.

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